Latest History stories on ABC Online

Iraq's ethnic and religious mix is often pointed to as a potential obstacle to its future security as a democratic nation. But that mix, and its ancient historical roots, has in the past nourished a nationalist vision of Iraq as a pluralist, democratic federation. It may nourish that vision again. ...

Perspective helps you make balanced judgements so on Encounter we take to the eagle's eyrie to get perspective on Islam, and on the Jewish and Christian scriptures. Up there with that privileged view are two historians. One of them is Ira Lapidus whose panoramic History of Islamic Societies ...

Love them or hate them, beards have been around in one shape or another for centuries. In fact they can tell us a lot about how the face (pun intended) of Australian society has changed over time. Jeremy Martens, an historian from the University of Western Australia, is studying beards through the ...